library

Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA) (Drew Angerer/Getty

GOP bill establishing a federal parental bill of rights passed in U.S. House

BY: - March 24, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday passed a bill designed to empower parents to inspect books and other teaching materials in local public schools, but Democrats sharply criticized the measure, saying it would censor teachers and ban books. The legislation, called the Parents Bill of Rights, passed on a 213-208 vote. It would codify […]

COMMENTARY
School and community libraries in Kansas have faced challenges to the content of books. But libraries do more for their communities than archive dusty volumes, writes Clay Wirestone. (Getty Images)

Libraries serve communities, not aggrieved parents.

BY: - December 19, 2022

Libraries hold a conflicted place our collective imagination. To many of us — to me personally — they’re magical. We were first exposed to worlds of imagination and ideas on the shelves of our local libraries. To others, these buildings serve as indispensable community gathering spots, places to learn and meet and share. But to […]

Craighead County, Jonesboro voters approve decrease in library property tax

BY: - November 8, 2022

JONESBORO – Voters in both the city of Jonesboro and Craighead County favored decreasing the Craighead County Public Library’s millage from 2 mills to 1 mill on Tuesday. This was one of the more hotly debated issues of the election, which saw a vast increase in voter turnout this year, county election officials said. It […]

An ‘unprecedented flood’ of book bans engulfs U.S. school districts, PEN report says

BY: - September 19, 2022

WASHINGTON — More than 1,600 book titles across 32 states were banned from public schools during the 2021-2022 school year, with the bulk of the ban requests coming from a handful of right-wing groups pushing for censorship of books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters of color, a new report issued Monday said. “What I […]